Combat Rules Questions

1. I have a question regarding strike, parry, and dodge bonuses. When Striking, dodging or parrying a modern weapon, does the character receive their P.P. bonuses. For example if a character has the Skill W.P. Energy Rifle do they receive their P.P. bonus on top of the +3 to an aimed shot and the +1 to a burst?

Answer: P.P. Bonuses and Hand to hand combat bonuses do not apply to modern weapons.

2. I believe that you should have some rule about called shots for Palladium Fantasy.

Answer: The Called Shot rules for Rifts (Rifts RPG, pg. 40-41) may be adapted for the Palladium RPG system. If you do not have Rifts, to do a called shot you need to state what you are doing before rolling to strike, then the GM may apply a penalty to the strike roll based on difficulty of the called shot. Also you must then roll 12 or better to hit the called target, rolling below 12 will result in striking the main body.

3. ROF standard denotes no possibility of bursts or sprays, right?

Answer: Rate of Fire: Standard means that the weapon is capable of firing single shots (aimed or wild), and is capable of firing bursts only if the weapon description states it can fire bursts. For example a Wilk's 457 Pulse rifle is capable of firing a single shot or a pulse burst (3 shot burst).

4. What is a melee attack? How much time approx. is one? Could a Ninja Juicer (or just a Mystic Ninja) draw his sword and strike in one attack?

Answer: A melee attack is an action during a melee round. Melee rounds are 15 seconds long; during that time, characters can perform 4 or 5 actions. Drawing a sword is one action and striking is a second action.

5. Would a WP skill be needed to get a bonus using TW weapons?

Answer: Yes, the appropriate W.P. will give a bonus to TW Weapons.

6. The N&SS conversion rules for Heroes seems to be much different in regards to the suggestions given in Heroes 2. What would a good guideline be for allowing Heroes characters to have N&SS martial arts? Should I continue to use the rules found in the back of N&SS?

Answer: You, should use the rules as found in Heroes Unlimited 2nd for any conversions from Ninjas & Superspies.

7. Do all PC really start with 2 actions per melee round plus any gained from Hand to Hand and O.C.C. bonuses? Also does this apply to just a few of Palladium games or all of them?

Answer: Yes, the 2 actions per melee round applies to all PC and its for all the games. This rule has not always been applied to NPC.

8. Are there any rules on vehicle vs. character combat? (i.e. a character with sonic flight vs. a Tarlok fighter?)

Answer: Vehicle to Pedestrian combat is mentioned in Heroes Unlimited and Ninjas and Superspies in the vehicle combat section. For characters capable of aerial combat, Combat maneuvers similar to the aircraft maneuvers may be possible, and if you wish a skill percentage may be assigned to characters with natural flight for maneuvering (P.P. x 4 is reasonable to determine the base percentage). alternatively, if you have access to Turtles Guide to the Universe, you could replace the aerial combat rules in Heroes Unlimited etc, with the Rules found there, incorporating TMF.

9. I am a bit confused on this autododge issue. Bonuses for normal dodge are for dodging during your HtoH combat. If you run out of attacks, you may still dodge or parry with autododge/parry and the bonuses of autododge only apply to when your melee actions/attacks are used up. Correct? What about the Kittani serpent power armor, how does that work with having normal dodge and auto dodge bonuses?

Answer: You can use the auto dodge whenever you want in place of a parry without spending any additional attacks/actions to do so. Bonuses from Auto-Dodge come from the P.P. dodge bonus (if any), and any bonuses to auto dodge. This generally means your auto-dodge bonuses are less that normal dodge bonuses, so you may elect to auto dodge and use a smaller bonus, or do a normal dodge with higher bonuses (but using a attack/action). For the serpent Power Armour, the only bonuses to the automatic dodge, are from the armour/training, and P.P. bonuses (other normal dodge bonuses do not apply).

10. Ok, I want to do a large scale war, such as two merc companies going at it. I also want to be able to draw or map out the tactics of everyone. How would you suggest I go about that, I thought about using miniatures and I feel that is about the best way. But I also want to know what your suggestion would be about this and how I would go about the kills for the NPCs whether it be a 1 for 1 situation or actually roll the dice for each NPC?

Answer: Either miniatures or just wage an abstracted combat where a single roll determines a general trend of battle. Rolling for each NPC could prove cumbersome so you may wish to combine things a bit.

11. Rules for burst says that short ones takes 20% of the E-clips and does damage x2. Pump pistol (Triax TX-5) has a payload of 5 and allows burst (rate of fire std). So if I opt to have a short burst it would take 1 bullet and do double damage.

Answer: Pump weapons due to their design cannot fire bursts. The rules for shot guns apply, and since it is pump action this would be single shot only. A note for Bursts: A burst will use a minimum of 2 rounds.

12. Can a person or any being in Rifts dodge an attack from an energy/rail/projectile weapon?

Answer: Its -10 to Dodge at ranges under 400 feet and -8 to Dodge when over 500 feet. If the PC spends the entire round dodging forfiting all dodges then it's a -6 to Dodge.

13. How many times can a character parry? Can John parry(automatic) an attack from bill and mike and still have his attack to use?

Answer: A character can parry equal to their number of attacks (actions) per melee round. If they have automatic parry then can also still attack.

14. Does rolling with a punch take an attack from the defending character? And if so, does it take his very next attack, leaving him on the defensive for his attacker's next strike? Or does the lost attack/action come off the defender's total number of attacks, letting him counter strike?

Answer: It does count as a action. (you could say recovering from the blow/impact) and does take the next attack.

15. When it states that "the victim loses initiative and one attack", does this mean that he loses his very next attack? Or just one from his total? And what about when it says the victim loses an attack, but it says nothing about initiative?

Answer: "The victim loses initiative and one attack", means that the very next attack is lost, and the characters future actions in this melee round will occur last. If they lose a attack, but do not lose initiative, they lose their next scheduled action, but if they still have attacks/actions left they will occur in their normal position.

16. Does a P.P. bonus add to the strike when using a bow or crossbow? I never thought that it did, but in the new PFRPG, there is one paragraph about modern weapon proficiencies, where it says that you do. Could you clear this up for me?

Answer: The P.P. strike bonus is not applied when using a bow or crossbow.

17. When an MDC character is stabbed or pierced with and MDC weapon do they bleed and if so should you apply blood loss penalties?

Answer: A MDC character in your example would bleed and blood loss penalties should be applied. Those creatures with Bio-regenerative powers, or healing factor will soon have their wounds close up, stopping any further damage from Blood Loss.

18. I am having a problem in that someone is saying since w.p. paired weapons was not in the Rifts book it is not a valid skill.

Answer: W.P. Paired Weapons ultimately appeared in Rifts: Warlords of Russia so it is now officially a skill for the Rifts system.

19. Does the dodge roll needs to be higher or just equal to the attack roll to be effective?

Answer: Ties favor defenders.

20. Does the bonuses to strike from PA combat training apply to missile weapons (eg, the SAMAS rail gun) or just for melee?

Answer: Just for melee attacks.

21. What do you suggest doing when one character has much more attacks then all other? Does he just keep shooting, with nobody else able to dodge, run away or anything else?

Answer: Yes, the PC still has actions and can use them to attack. If the NPC or PC have autododge and autoparry they still can be used.

22. If you are wearing MDC Armor and get punched by a MDC punch do you take any sdc damage. The reason that I ask this is because one of my gamers got kicked by a demon, flew a good 50ft and fell a good 100ft off a small cliff. His armor took the MDC of the kick but what about the rest?!

Answer: Yes, damage would be inflicted. Figure that if a M-60 tank (a MDC vehicle) drove off a cliff, its driver would still suffer from the impact (which is SDC based). The rules for this are on page 12 of the Rifts Main Book under "Physical Damage While Inside a M.D.C. Structure."

23. When a character changes occ's their old skills no longer advance right? Well what about Hand to Hand skills if their new occ gives them H to H or if they spend the skills to get it. Does it advance when they do in level or only when they advance past their old level from the first occ?

Answer: It goes up as they advance in there new character class and does not have to wait till they pass the level of their old character class.

24. If a mage has 3 levels in one occ and 4 levels in another what is their level when it comes to spell strength and for spells that base damage on level?

Answer: If a certain spell is only applicable to one of the OCC's, then use that as your base level. If it is applicable to both OCCs, use the higher level.

25. Do characters with supernatural PS add their bonus to MD weapon attacks (vibro knives)? I want to know whether the PS damage bonus is added to all of the MD weapon attacks regardless or only those specifically stated?

Answer: The P.S. damage bonus only applies if there is a physical component like a vibro-blade, rune weapon or TW weapon for example. For energy, magic or psionic weapons like Flaming Swords and Psi-Swords there is no P.S. damage bonus.

26. What if a character with supernatural PS learns a martial art which offers unique moves with a set damage. Two examples: a) HtH Commando- The automatic throw/flip- d6 SDC damage- What would a supernatural character inflict? b) Karate/Ninjitsu/etc- Take some of the special kicks (i.e. roundhouse, hook kick/etc)- These all have preset damage but I am uncertain what a supernatural character (i.e Japanese godling) would inflict.

Answer: Unless they are specifically geared toward MDC, the damage would be unchanged.

27. Does PP give any additional pluses to initiative for the player character?

Answer: There is a accumulative +1 at a P.P. of 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48 but stops at 48 with a bonus of +6.

28. Missiles and mini-missiles all have a blast radius, and they all hit the main body. If the main body takes a sixty point hit do the other locations (like the head) take the thirty points from the blast area? And what about blow through? A 'boom gun' does 3D6x10 damage, to a suit of dead-boy armour this gives 10 to 130 points of wasted damage.

Answer: For missile combat, we have deliberately kept it simple so the answer is no only the main body takes damage. There is likewise no rules for blow through. If the GM wants to make it more realistic (and more complicated) for his individual campaign, he is free to modify the rules.

29. What is the maximum number of hand to hand actions a character can have?

Answer: There is no maximum (other than what the GM will allow).

30. Does the boxing skill add an attack at all times or just during melee that doesn't involve missile weapons?

Answer: Only during melee weapons combat it does not apply to any form of ranged combat.

31. I have question about damage from hand to hand attacks. I'm a GM and would just like to know about the supernatural strength in Nightbane. One of my players has a PS of 39 equaling a +24 S.D.C. Is this what is added to damage from say a sword strike?

Answer: You, would add the +24 SDC damage, as well as the punch damage from supernatural P.S.(in this case 6D6 SDC). So if using a sword that inflicts 2D6 SDC damage, a total of 8D6+24 SDC damage is inflicted in Nightbane.

32. I have a question about attributes over the table in the Rifts book. Are there any bonuses gained from stats over 30?

Answer: Yes, they can be found in the Rifts GM Guide on page 24.

33. If a character is riding a mount that gets attacks of its own (like a Simvan on an Ostrosaur), does the PC have to expend a melee action/attack, in the form of a successful horsemanship skill roll, to goad the beast into doing so, or will it do so completely independent of the rider, other conditions (range and accessibility of targets, etc.) permitting? Would a horsemanship skill roll be necessary to keep from falling off the mount as it reared to attack?

Answer: The rider would NOT have to expend his own actions -the mount would get to attack independently. However, unless he is very well trained with that specific steed, a rider will have to roll vs. horsemanship to keep from falling off.

34. If some one tries to strike you and makes it past your AR but you dodge doe's it still strike?

Answer: A successful dodge totally evades the strike regardless of the attack roll.

35. With something with an AR of 5 would it work like this 1-4 miss, a 5 would hit the AR and 6+ would hit bypassing the AR?

Answer: Yes, that is correct.

36. In combat if two characters are fighting and running towards a destination, and both characters had the same speed but different number of attacks, by the system the person with the lower number of attacks would reach the destination first. Is there an optional rule in the system somewhere that would handle this situation with more realism?

Answer: Though the characters may move different amounts per attack, baring any distractions both characters will move the same distance over the same amount of time. (combat actions are abstract as to when they occur in combat). However, if moving and acting at the same time, a character with more attacks will be able to cover a greater distance than a character with less attacks, if doing similar actions.

37. I cannot find a mecha combat for the spider skull walker, shouldn't there be one?

Answer: The Spider Skull Walker uses the General Robot Combat Basic and Elite.

38. Does a power punch always take up two attacks? (Sometimes it doesn't say that)

Answer: Yes, unless its specifically stated as doing less or more.

39. When it says hand to hand basic is (rifts is what I play by the way) that a catch all? So even farmers have basic?

Answer: Basic hand to hand training, is just that, basic training in combat. Not everyone would have combat training. Wilderness folk would probably have hand to hand basic, but many people would have no hand to hand training at all.

40. In your latest book from Heroes you stated a W.P. for railguns and heavy lasers-were are they mentioned and do you know anything about the heavy lasers?

Answer: They are not described in the HU2 main book, but certain hero categories (aliens, bionics, and robots) can have these high tech energy weapon systems. These systems are described in those categories. the Supplements Aliens Unlimited and Villains Unlimited have more of these categories of weapons.

41. If I have Robot Combat:Elite what skill do I get automatically? Is it Robot Combat:Basic and/or Pilot: Robots and Power Armor?

Answer: You receive Robot Combat Basic

42. Do I have to choose Robot Combat: Elite for every Robot or Power Armor I want to pilot? One for SAMAS and another one for Flying Titan. Or just for the type of Vehicle? One for Power Armors and another one for Robots?

Answer: You select Robot Combat Elite for each and every type of Robot you want elite training in so you would have 2 picks for the SAMAS and Flying titan, all other robot and power armour would receive Robot Combat Basic

43. A Person with Pilot: Robots and Power Armor, pilots the Spider Skull Walker and his comrade with the Weapon System skill, controls the weapons? Do they have full effectiveness? Or must they posses the skill Robot Combat in order to engage in combat?

Answer: They do not need Robot Combat to pilot a robot into battle, if they do not have it, they pilot it a minimum effectiveness in combat. Only hand to hand training bonuses apply.

44. A Rifts question: Does the paired weapons bonus/skill a character receives at 7th level for hand-to-hand expert/martial arts work for range weapons like pistols and rifles?

Answer: It only works for hand to hand weapons.

45. What is the limit to the number of martial arts forms you can get In ninjas and superspies? Can you just train to get different ones?

Answer: In Revised Ninjas and Superspies most O.C.C.'s can only select One form while others can select two initially. Learning additional martial arts is possible, but you would have to spend several years (the time to learn) in training in the new martial art form, just to achieve level 1 proficiency, and is not recommended for beginning characters. It is like learning new skills as outlined in Heroes Unlimited.

46. The Cockroach in Austrailia, technically, could have a PS of Supernatural 270. I was wondering what kind of damage this does.

Answer: The latest Supernatural PS damage tables go up to 70 in Mystic Russia. For every 10 points of P.S. beyond 70 add 10 M.D. to the damage inflicted per standard punch.

47. I had a game where I had a character get ko'd in the water. I was wonder if there is some kind of Drowning Damage Table or/if not what should I have the character roll for damage.

Answer: There is no table as such for drowning. If a character is unconscious, they will suffer immediate effects from drowning, including the lungs filling with water. Unless immediate life saving treatment (first Aid) is provided, the character will slip into a coma (First Aid should be used). Prolonged exposure underwater will result in more serious medical treatment being required to revive the character.

48. How does the one-finger attack of the snake style kung fu work, exactly? Is it 3d6 directly to hit points or is there a variety of effects you can choose from?

Answer: The one finger-tip attack is used to deliver chi strikes, using the various forms of Chi Mastery abilities including One Finger Chi, of direct Chi Attacks.

49. I wanted to know if a cosmo knight can damage a vampire through a punch, cosmic blast, or, cosmic weapon?

Answer: There weapons and natural damage is considered supernatural, so they can inflict damage to vampires.

50. On page 85 of Ninjas and Superspies level 6 of the Aikido level advancement table, it says "Body Flip does 2d6 extra damage from now on" Does this mean that the throw does 2d6 damage or 2d6 in addition to the original damage of 1d6 (making the new damage 3d6 on every body flip)?

Answer: Correct it does 3D6 damage.

51. Okay here's the situation a Spartan decides to fire 1 volley of 11 missiles per arm. for a total of 22 missiles. this would take up 2 attacks and 2 "to strike" rolls would be made for shooting wild. but the 22 missiles would be fired simultaneously am I right on all this or is it all illegal?

Answer: Volleys do not have to be fired wild... you cannot do a dual strike using 2 11 missile volleys. instead it would be 2 attacks, firing a volley each attack

52. Do you know how much ppe it takes for a chi MD death blow in the Japan book.

Answer: The Chi Death Blow costs the same as the Palladins Demon Death Blow from Palladium Fantasy. The Palladin's Demon Death Blow uses up 3D6 P.P.E. (roll 3D6 and subtract from the Palladin's P.P.E. reserve).

53. I was wandering if someone has a supernatural strength of 54 is the damage bonus sdc or mdc since a restrained punch still does mdc damage

Answer: The damage bonus remains SDC.

54. Can you please give me a summary of some "standard" forms of damage: fire (normal fires), falling (damage per yard?), asphyxiation/drowning.

Answer: Damage from falling is 1D6 per 10 foot fallen. Damage from fire varies from 1 single point to 1D6 to torches to 5-6D6 for entering a house fire depending on the size, and intensity of the fire. There is no damage from asphyxiation/drowning, it has other effects that can put the character into a coma or result in death.

55. In coalition war campaign, under the Hand to Hand: Commando skill there is a blooper. At third level you receive +1 to automatic body flip, suggesting that you have the automatic body flip ability, but at level 14 you receive automatic body flip/throw. What's going on here? Which is right?

Answer: It should read +1 Body Flip/Throw not +1 to automatic body flip. at level 14.

56. In the Robotech RPG, does the pilot add his hand to hand skill bonuses to the Veritech when it is in Guardian or Jet modes? I would think not for Jet mode, but I am not sure. Also, does the pilot get to add in his P.P. bonuses (for strike, parry, and dodge) when flying a Veritech in Jet mode? Does the P.P. bonus add when piloting other vehicles?

Answer: It applies in all modes, but is only for hand to hand combat including dodges.

57. Suppose two chi masters were locked in battle, one using positive chi skills(Akido), and the other using negative chi skills(Snake Style). The negative master unleashes a chi attack that the positive master fails to defend well enough against, causing the Akido master to become infected with 20 points of negative chi. Will the good-aligned, positive chi master be able to *access* and *use* the 20 negative points of chi to power neutral chi skills, like hardened chi, or does the negative chi infection nullify all of their powers(because they were not trained to use negative chi)?

Answer: Yes they can use negative Chi to power Neutral Chi Skills.

58. Are there any official rules regarding damage caused from using a garrote? ( a weapon used to strangle ) If not, what would be a reasonable suggestion.

Answer: There are some unofficial suggestions in Rifter #1 under the New Roman Republic.

59. What are the penalty for characters using 2 Energy Pistols for example the ambidextrous Quick Flex Aliens.

Answer: There are no penalties as such. A weapon may be fired/used in each hand, but they are not able to do simultaneous firing of both weapons at once (unless a gunfighter or other Western OCC).

60. Is it possible to knock someone/something with the boxing skill while wielding a weapon, say a short sword, or is it something that can only be done with fists.

Answer: The knockout stun attacks from boxing are considered to be from hand strikes. Of course punching can still be done while holding a sword (knuckle- duster/brass knuckles), and if not being descriptive in combat you might rule that instead of hitting with the sword you punched them.

61. When a character who has a millennium tree weapon or other such item that would inflict Mega-Damage upon a vampire who has hit points, would it still inflict the Mega-Damage or would it inflict hit point damage?

Answer: It is converted to Hit Points damage to Vampires.

62. I have your new rifter #7. In there is a new skill called anticipation. And the way the description of it goes, it sounds like no matter what as long as you get a 4 or higher you hit and they don't. So could you please clear this up and tell me exactly how it works and give me at least 2 examples of it.

Answer: That is how it works, normally with a simultaneous attack, there is no chance to evade the blows being dealt. This skill allows you to strike first in a simultaneous attack and stops them from attacking back, its negative is the loss of power and the minimal damage (no P.S. bonus) inflicted.

63. If Normal strength and Supernatural strength have damage tables, then why not extraordinary and Superhuman strength?

Answer: There are notes for extraordinary and superhuman strength in the Rifts GM Guide on page 24 under the ""Augmented" Humans (Juicers & Crazies), Mutants, Cyborgs & Exoskeletons" section.

64. My friends and I recently had an argument about paired weapons in the fantasy RPG. My friend says that if I take W.P. Sword, W.P. Chain and W.P. Paired then I must choose either sword or chain to go with paired. He says I cannot use both chain weapons and swords paired but I can use either just sword or just chain. So what I am trying to say is that would W.P. Paired become W.P. Paired Sword or whatever W.P. I wanted to combine with paired.

Answer: You can combine different weapons with W.P. Paired, i.e. Sword and Shield, Mace and Sword etc.

65. If you have a Cosmo knight with four arms that has a cosmic blast doing 1d6X10. Can he fire the blast with all arms causing 4D6X10 damage or are they all separate attacks.

Answer: They would be separate attacks.

66. If a Cyberknight from rifts was dropped in the world of ninjas in superspies, would he be able to learn martial arts?

Answer: It is up to the individual GM, and remember, they do take time to learn and the character would be out of action for that period of time learning.

67. Would Dim Mak affect creatures of pure negative chi? (I am inclined to think so as Dim Mak is not a negative chi attack, but rather an attack on a creature's ability to regenerate chi (either positive or negative)

Answer: Yes, they would be affected by Dim Mak, however they must be in solid form to be effected. Note many of the upper echelons demons, and the yama kings would know possible cures for Dim Mak, or might be immune to it.

68. Are there any types of creatures that are immune to Atemi abilities?

Answer: Many creatures will not be affected by atemi abilities unless they have been studied extensively, and the martial artist knows their weak points (conventional training generally applies to humans, and must humanoids).

69. Is there any rules for combat between moving vehicles(especially aircraft)? Would a pilot have to use attacks to turn the plane around, if so how many?

Answer: Vehicular combat can be found in Ninjas and Superspies or Heroes Unlimited.

70. Can a wolfen or ogre size character use single handed human size weapons in the Palladium Fantasy RPG?

Answer: Yes they can, thought it might be a bit awkward to use depending on the weapon.

71. Would any of the WPs apply to a sack full of doorknobs blunt, flail?

Answer: Normally blunt, but if plenty of slack is provided then W.P. Chain would apply.

72. When you fire a volley of missiles do you roll to hit for each missile or do you roll once and multiply the damage by the amount of missiles fired in that volley?

Answer: You roll once to hit for the entire volley. For damage you may roll for one missile and multiply by the number of missiles in the volley, or roll each damage separately.

73. In Ninjas & Superspies it says that Ninjitsu counts as both your primary & secondary martial arts forms. If that is true, then how could you take the martial arts it lists as getting reduced time to master if your primary martial art is Ninjitsu?

Answer: The earlier printing of Ninjas and Superspies allowed a dedicated martial artist to have 3 forms. Also it is possible to learn additional forms later on in life.

74. How does the Rahu-Man do MD punches without Supernatural Strength?

Answer: Size, and Bulk.

75. If a PC has +5 to strike, for example, and he is trying to hit a small and difficult target (lets say at -3), then is is modified bonus to strike +2, or do i eliminate the bonus entirely, and then take away the minus, making him have a total of -3?

Answer: Unless otherwise stated, take the penalty away from the bonus. In the above case it would be a +2 bonus to hit.

76. If you have a titan Juicer an S.D.C. being, with over 1,000 S.D.C. and he is shot in the head with a sniper rifle doing 1D4X10, and a 40 is rolled AND a 20 to strike is also rolled for a damage rating of 80 S.D.C. whould he ( The Juicer ) die?

Answer: If going by the numbers, he will not die. Using the rules form the compendium of contemporary weapons, a Juicer would have 240 SDC for the head and the bullet will dox1 for a grazex2 for a head shotx4 for a brain shot (Direct to Hit Points)

A Critical strike would double this damage So a standard head shot doing 40 points damage, and on a critical strike will deal 160 SDC damage to the Juicer. Not enough to kill, but seriously wound. Blood Loss will still be high, and if unattended the Juicer will die soon (6 per minute from the high calibre bullet direct to hit points) if not treated.

77. Initiative and Attacks: If a character with 4 attacks wins initiative, does he/she take all of those attacks before the next character has an opportunity to act? Or do characters & NPCs take it in turns to have one action after another until everyone has run-out of attacks?

Answer: They take it in turns until they run out of attacks I.E. 4 people are fighting A, B, C, D. A C and D have 4 attacks each, while B has 5 attacks per melee. They go in the following order A, B, C, D (based on their initiative role so the attacks (presuming no dodges occur will go like this).Action 1: A, B, C, DAction 2: A, B, C, DAction 3: A, B, C, DAction 4: A, B, C, DAction 5: B

78. How is it that AR works, I've read it a couple of times but I still can't figure it out.

Answer: There are two types of A.R. Natural A.R. and Artificial A.R. With Natural A.R. any roll above the A.R. hits, and any Roll below the A.R. misses or bounces off doing no damage. With Artificial A.R. any roll above the A.R. penetrates doing full damage to the person/subject wearing the armour, any strike roll that hits but is equal to the A.R. or less will do damage to the armour. Please note, natural AR may be found on many animals, and is common to vehicles, and Robots (HU setting). Artificial A.R. is common to body armour.

79. My question is one pertaining to your Palladium Fantasy Role Playing Game and specifically to the magic combat section. It states that two spells of levels 1-8 can be cast per melee round (15 seconds). My question is can the character casting the spell able to only cast one spell and then take some other action such as melee attack, move around or some other basic melee action or does that character allowed only those two spell as his action. How does it compare in time ratio with that characters hand to hand?Does one spell equal one attack or is it different.

Answer: Yes, you can combine spell casting with normal actions. Since low levels spells can be cast two per melee, each spell cast will take 1/2 the characters attacks. I.e. a Wizard has 4 attacks/actions per melee round, with that they can do the following 2 Spells per Melee Round 4 Actions per Melee Round 1 Spell and 2 Actions per Melee Round. (presuming the spells are low level).

80. I need verification on rules for shooting from a moving vehicle. The new books say that with a WP, shooting from a vehicle is only a Wild Shot. But in Rifts: Australia they say that with the Roadganger and the Outback Vehilce Combat skill, that the penalties are either reduced or nullified. Could you clarify the rule for this case, and how it pertains to the examples I have given.

Answer: There are no contradictions Normally firing from a vehicle is a wild shot only, and you cannot do aimed, called, or sniper shots at all. With a W.P. the penalty is 0, without the W.P. it is -6. With the Outback Combat Driving skill, you can make aimed shots, and even called shots with a -2 penalty to strike (normally impossible).

81. When flying an airplane, can the pilot use Evasive Action to dodge a volley of four or more missiles? Roy Fokker does it in the T.V. show.

Answer: No they cannot, however, they may try to use it to either make the missiles lose lock, or to outfly them allowing their fuel to run out, or to allow someone to target them.

82. The question is about supernatural strength in Heroes Unlimited. When you have supernatural strength, it gives you a listing of how much damage your punches do. But.. in the very beginning of the book if gives you the table for extraordinary attributes, +1 dam for each str above 16 I think.. So, when you have a supernatural str of 51, do you get the +35 dam as well as doing 2d4x10 per punch.. or is it only 2d4x10 a hit... just wondering because it has a huge effect on the game.. thanks

83. On page 42 of the Rifts RPG, you state that mini-missiles are not guided. Instead you must use normal W.P. bonuses. You also state that a character may add in his strike bonus from a high P.P. attribute. Is there a W.P. Mini-Missile? And also if you get a bonus to strike from P.P with Mini-Missiles, why wouldn't you get the same bonus to hit with an aimed shot from a gun?

Answer: That is a typo. P.P. bonuses do not apply to mini missiles

84. I was reading HU 2nd Edition and came across something called a PV in the Hardware Weapons Master section. What is it, how does it work and why doesn't the book mention PV anywhere else in the book? What is the PV of the firearms in the book?

Answer: PV is covered in greater depth in the HU GM's Guide. It is also used with a alternate combat rules for modern weapons outlined in the Compendium of Modern Weapons.

85. Can a character tell when they have been a target of a failed psionic attack? For instance, if one character was attacking another character in a different room with bio-manipulation, but the victim made their save vs. psionic attack, would the victim know what just happened, or is it impossible to tell?

Answer: That depends on the nature of the Psionic attack. For example with bio manipulation Blind, no effect may be felt, or vision dimmed for a moment before coming back.

86. I find in my games that characters seem to only have two conditions they are either conscious or dead. Is there a good way to present an unconscious state in the Palladium system?

Answer: When the players hit 0 H.P. they will fall unconscious. They will die when it drops to a negative amount equal to there P.E.. Also they can fall unconscious by failing a Saving Throw vs Pain. The rules on Saving Throw vs Pain can be found in Ninjas & Superspies (page 132) or Rifts Canada (page 26).

87. The 'Chi-Gung - MD Skin' in Rifts Japan (pg 55) shows Bonuses. Are the Bonuses permanent or only when the power is being used?

Answer: The bonuses are permanent, but the AR is only applicable when "powered up".

88. One of the player in my group & myself was having a disagreement about Simultaneous Attacks. My friend thinks that if he is fighting something with more attacks per round than himself he can call Simultaneous and attack the same way he would be able to parry.

Answer: When you do a simultaneous attack, it uses up one of your characters attacks/actions per round, like any normal attack.

89. I have a question about called shot, do you need a natural 12 or better or just 12 after bonuses?

Answer: 12 or better after bonuses.

90. In South America 2 there is an OCC called the Ultra-Crazy. This OCC's Supernatural Strength and Supernatural Endurance are created or originate from magical means (TW). Does this mean he has the capacity to do damage in hand to hand to those creatures that can only be affected by magic? For instance would he be able to do damage to Murderwraiths or Vampires?

Answer: Yes, those with supernatural strength can affect those creatures that can only be harmed by magic/supernatural means

91. In the Rifter Vol. 3 the martial art Yung Huo Jen seems to missing lvl's 1-3 for advancement as well as the skills, martial art powers and possibly some of the moves!

Answer: You can find the correction on our web site under the Oops section.

92. In Rifter #3 I was not able to find Martial Art Techniques or Zanshin Techniques. These Items where mentioned in the Bishoudo Style. Where can I find these Techniques?

93. In Robotech : Return of the Masters, the Mecha Su-Dai OCC has a few ancient weapon skills, do you add the bonus to the pilots strike if he has WP: Sword and is using the mecha size sword?

Answer: Yes, Strike bonuses from the W.P. are added to the pilots strike bonus (including mecha combat bonuses to strike).

94. Hand to Hand Mecha Su-Dai, does this replace the character's out of mecha hand to hand skill?

Answer: It does not the PC just chooses which one to use while in Mecha.

95. If a character were piloting a helicopter or a jet, what would they use for combat? is there a Vehicle Combat skill out there? And what if a VF Pilot or a Veritech Helicopter (I cant remember the name) were piloting the non-veritech form of their mecha? would they use their mecha combat bonus in the vehicle?

Answer: They use their skill in piloting for most maneuvers, strikes etc are made using the weapon system strike bonus, and any applicable bonuses from sensor systems, and weapon/vehicle design.

96. What effect (if any) do lasers have on invisible characters? My thought is none because light passes through invisible objects.

Answer: Yes, the laser still does damage.

97. Are there any types of physical attacks you cant parry? Like a dragons bite?

Answer: Attacks that are extremely large, or consisting of a fluid gas or a vast expanse of solid wall (such as a giant bolder rolling down, the collapsing roof, a avalanche, flash flooding, gas etc cannot be parried. As to other attacks, it really depends on the situation, they type of the attack etc.

98. Under Robot Combat: Basic in the Rifts main book it states "No dodge", does this mean no dodge is possible or is there just no bonuses?

Answer: No dodge is possible, the character is just not skilled enough to perform that Action, like No Body Flip or no Kick.

99. Say a character has a +5 to strike and rolls a 2, 3, or 4. Does the strike fail? I have argued this point with the GM for hours. My contention is that characters should only miss if they roll a 1 naturally because characters have high bonuses for reasons. He says that a 2, 3, or 4, is still a 2, 3, or 4 no matter how high the bonuses. So, who's right?

Answer: Bonuses count towards this. so with a +5 to strike rolling a 2, 3 or 4 will be counted as a 5, 6, or 7. Of course your GM might have a house rule stating that a natural 1-4 will miss.

100. Can an Arcanist use Bullet-proof vests such as Class II, II, or even IV-type armor. Or do the metal plates interfere with spell-casting?

Answer: They can use such armour, however, significantly covering the body with metals, will impede spell casting. Please consult Palladium Fantasy.

101. Regarding the AR used in SDC realms do you have to roll over the AR value naturally or do modifiers count?

Answer: Modifiers do count when penetrating A.R.

102. What can a spell caster do defensively while casting a spell?

Answer: Hide, Parry (if the spell doesn't require hand movements), Duck, move at normal to fast pace (but cannot run). Anything that causes the caster to lose a attack, or spend a action will effectively disrupt the casting, as can serious injuries.

103. In the Robotech RPG, can a full-size Zentraedi without battle armor be harmed by SDC weapons?

Answer: They can be, since they are still SDC beings, however, it will take a lot of damage to hurt them.

104. Can a mage not in the combat be nearby and absorb PPE released from those dying in the combat.

Answer: If prepared to receive the P.P.E. but they must be very close within reaching distance, 6-10 feet to do so. Any further away means the P.P.E. can dissipate before the character can draw it in.

105. If you stab a S.D.C. car with a vibro blade what happens? ( And the car has 250 S.D.C. and the blade does 4 M.D.

Answer: The knife will go through the car like a hot knife through butter. Considering the size of the car, the GM may require several strikes to disable the car though or a called shot. But individual components like doors, wheels, etc can easily be destroyed. It does not though instantly blow up from the touch of a vibro blade.

106. A Titan juicer with the equivalent (in S.D.C.) of 10 M.D. is hit w/say 2pts. M.D. is that character, being an S.D.C. being automatically killed?

Answer: Since they have 1000 SDC, and they get hit by a blast doing 2 M.D. (200 SDC) they will have 800 SDC left. They will be alive, but it will take a while for them to fully heal back.

107. I have a question regarding the Rifts game. When you roll to dodge does a roll of 4 ( before dodge bonuses are added in ) mean you failed? I know when you attack a roll of 4 fails was wondering if that was for dodging too.

Answer: There is no automatic failure for dodge rolls.

108. If a opponent succeeds his ambush skill roll. Do he automatically get initiative that round?

Answer: If the ambush wasn't detected by a Detect Ambush or similar power, and the others do not know he has set up a ambush, yes he would get initiative, in fact he would have surprise on his side.

109. If a pilot has a PS that provides a damage bonus does the robot or power armor gets that bonus?

Answer: The Pilots P.S. doesn't matter inside a robot or power armour, which have their own P.S. equivalent, unless it is a exoskeleton which provides a P.S. bonus. And you are correct the damage bonus remains S.D.C. even with Robotic or Supernatural strength.

110. Can you pick the same W.P. twice to double the impact?

Answer: You cannot.

111. What I wish to know is if a character who is intangible is still affected by electricity (1/2 damage) can they walk though the electrical shield of a zapper, or at least slowed down somewhat?

Answer: They can, but it will be painful for the intangible character. (standard reaction would be to flinch and pull back).

112. If a mecha can fly faster than a missile, can he simply out run it? The SR-71 is about the only jet I've ever heard of that could speed escape missiles, but most robotech mecha are faster than the missiles. So how literal should I take those missile speeds?

Answer: Yes they could be out flown, but it would require several dodges to build up the speed required, also it would leave the character open to other attacks (any combat maneuvers will cause the craft to loose speed allowing the missile to catch up.

113. What about the concept of 'fire linking'? Many mecha, particularly 1st series destroids, have a wide variety of weapons. However its my experience that players will use only the most powerful weapons. So I was wondering what you might think about firing multiple weapons at the same target. That is can Gladiator fire the head laser turret and a grenade from the launcher at the same time. How about if it cost him two attacks per melee. You see Rick hunter fire his GU-11 and his head lasers at the same time. How would that work? Reduced accuracy, costs several attacks at once, your thoughts.

Answer: Weapons cannot be linked unless otherwise stated. Different weapons may be used in different circumstances. i.e. autocannons and grenade launchers for mob suppression etc.

114. Concerning a character, robot, or power armor with a high PS (Doing Mega-Damage), How would you determine damage for a ripping force. (Ex. A Dragon lifts up a CS dead boy in light armor and tries to rip him in two, how would damage be given?)

Answer: I would consider it akin to a power punch, and do double supernatural strength punch damage.

115. If you were to shoot a person who is not wearing any M.D.C. armor with an MD weapon(doing over his total S.D.C. and HP combined) in a non-fatal area (i.e. a hand) would the person die or just have said part blown off?

Answer: That limb will be severed/damaged beyond repair. See Coalition War Campaign for details.

116. Do Supernatural being like Dragons, Gargoyles, brodkill, have a Resistance to pain, because if they didn't then it would REALY hurt to get hit with a rail gun burst. (save Vs. Pain?)

Answer: P.E. bonuses add to the saving throw Vs Pain.

117. If a juicer (or anyone with an automatic dodge) insists on using power armor or robot vehicles does s/he lose the automatic dodge (possibly due to lack of sensory input)?

Answer: They do.

118. What is a W.P. meteor hammers, from the weapon katas in the Wu Shu T'Sung martial art style in Ninjas & Superspies?

Answer: It is a specific type of hammer (use W.P. Blunt).

119. If there are multiple effects of an attack that double damage, how exactly does it work? IE: An apok does double damage to supernatural creatures. So, if he hits with a critical, does it do 4 times the damage, or just 3 times?(do you just add one to the number you multiply?) I was just thinking about this and it would be possible, using the 2*2*2 etc, to do like 16 times damage, which is insane.

Answer: It multiplies the base damage, so if say you did a critical strike using a attack that does double damage the damage would be x3.

120. The quick draw initiative bonus for the WP sharp shooting skill and gunslinger type characters, does that only apply to the 1st melee when the weapon is drawn?

Answer: Every melee of the combat (they are fast with their guns).

121. When a monster description says it takes full damage from either a spell, or weapon, (i.e. zombies with energy based spells) do you still roll for damage, or just apply the max amount?

Answer: You roll normal damage.

122. In PFRPG, if you pick the skill "paired weapons" then when you reach level 7 in H2H that bonus is a waste, why would you pick the skill if you get it latter on?

Answer: Because it can take a while getting to level 7 to receive that skill, when they could learn a limited version at level 1 giving them the bonuses.

123. Nowhere in the book does it state you need a roll to parry; it seems to be automatic. If two opponents, each with 4 attacks per round, engage in melee combat, how can they hit each other?

Answer: The term automatic means it does not use any action/attack to perform, you still need to roll a die adding in the various bonuses and penalties to see if it works or not. This also applies to the other automatic actions like automatic dodge or automatic bodyflip/throw etc.

124. Can a juicers harness be targeted while he is wearing armor? While he is wearing clothes? If it can be targeted is it a difficult target? How much damage could it take? I assume the drug harness is M.D.C.

Answer: It all depends on the type of armor being worn and how much protection it provides. If the harness is exposed it will take a called shot to hit, with a -6 penalty to strike. Generally the tubing would be light M.D.C. 1-2 points.

125. PFRPG when a role of 14 beats the AR of armor does it actually penetrate the armor or does it mean it just finds a chink in the armor?

Answer: It either means it penetrates of find a chink (that is arbitrary)

126. Do you add the bonuses to strike when you shot a fire bolt or fire ball, or any other magic or psionic attacks?

Answer: Only if that spell/power gives a bonus to strike.

127. Do any of the exceptional stats provide bonuses to pull punch or disarm?

Answer: They do not.

128. Does a character bonus to Disarm give him a bonus to defend against being disarmed by someone else?

Answer: It doesn't.

129. In Palladium Fantasy the rules for shields seem to make no sense, since a shield looses SDC while parrying a strike, while a "normal" weapon doesn't. So why should anyone use a shield for parrying? Perhaps I did not understand the rules. Tell me, if I am wrong and what use shields have (technical, besides role-playing).

Answer: Shields are designed to block the strike, not deflect it like a normal parry with any other kind of weapon. This is the reason they a Shield has S.D.C.. Now a optional rule in Palladium Fantasy is that a shield only takes 10% damage. This represents the durability of the shield in combat. Now shields can be used for other purposes, baring a heraldic emblem for one, covering the blind side (a kite shaped shield while on horseback is a good example). Formation fighters also use a shield (the roman legions for instance).

130. What is "Targeting Skill" and how can a mage use it to increase his chance to strike with a spell.

Answer: The targeting skill is a weapon proficiency ,and cannot be used to aid spell accuracy unless otherwise stated.

131. With the ability of Superior Bowmanship the Longbowman has a special schedule for attacks (as he goes up levels) does the +1 attack due to the boxing skill add to these? If not then a regular bowman with boxing would have 3 attacks, but the longbowman only 2!

Answer: Boxing does not apply to rate of fire for either of them.

132. Does the +3 to strike due to Superior Bowmanship cumulative with the +2 to strike due to the sniper skill?

Answer: Yes, it is.

133. I have a question regarding the W.P. Net skill of the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game. What is the bonus to strike when thrown?

Answer: There is no bonus to throwing a net.

134. I had an argument with a player on the Natural 20. The argument was if you roll a natural 20 when using a ranged weapon you don't need another Natural 20 to beat it. I'm pretty sure you need to match it even when using ranged weapons but I might need some more proof to send to this player.

Answer: It is still a critical strike, and another natural 20 is required to beat it.

135. Can you define a volley? A friend of mine thinks that a volley is any amount of weapons and/or missiles fired in one attack at one target.

Answer: A Volley is 4 or more missiles fired in one attack at one target. A Burst from a automatic grenade launcher or auto-cannon doesn't count as a volley.

136. I am new to your gaming system and have played with a few different DMs. In battle, you have to roll a 20 sided dice to strike when in a physical fight. Do you have to roll the 20 sided dice to cast magic or can psionics and wizards announce their spell they intend to cast and it goes off without any chance of failure? Please tell me how the rules are meant to be no "house rules".

Answer: You do not roll a dice when casting a spell or using psionics unless a strike roll is required to hit the target.

137. When using any sort of shotgun (sawed-off, automatic, etc), what WP would apply or is there a WP shotgun floating out there somewhere that I missed?.

Answer: Some of the games do have a W.P. Shotgun it gives the same bonuses as the other modern W.P..

138. In the Nightbane World Book One: Between the Shadows, the Special Forces O.C.C. is able to bypass a supernatural being's A.R. If the same character was rifted into Rifts Earth, how would that convert? Would he be able to damage M.D.C. supernatural beings?

Answer: No, the power will basically be negated.

139. What are the bonuses and damage rules for point blank range attacks. A gunshot against the temple, throwing yourself on a grenade, etc.?

Answer: Generally double damage, sometimes direct to Hit Points Villains Unlimited for Heroes Unlimited, and Rifts Conversion Book 1 have damage for point blank attacks as well as the Compendium of Modern Weapons.

140. Does a person who takes the sharp shooting skill get the ability to use two pistols at once? Or do they have to take Paired Weapons-Energy Pistol (or something like that).

Answer: They do not get paired weapons, and only select O.C.C.'s get the W.P. Paired (modern/energy) weapons.

141. What are the exact rules for the H-U/Century Station P.S. damage bonuses? Is it (say a P.S. of 70)+ 2d4*10 or + 2d4*10+55?

Answer: The latter is correct, P.S. damage bonuses is added if the damage inflicted is S.D.C.

142. I was just wondering, can any OCC besides the Gunfighter/Gunslinger and Headhunter Techno-warrior take the Paired Firearms WP in the new West? And if so, what are the skill costs?

Answer: No, unless otherwise stated in their description.

143. In page 112 in Rifts: Canada on the topic of Headhunter Techno-Warrior OCC there is mention of "WP Paired Firearms" in Rifts: New West, But I do not see any. Which page is it on? How does it work out? What is the detail? Does "WP Paired Firearms" include all firearms or you have to choose which kind of firearms to be paired much like "WP Paired weapons"?

Answer: The W.P. Paired Weapons skill is listed under the Gunslinger and Gunfighter O.C.C.'s.

144. Do I get my dodge bonuses to dodge spell blasts like fire ball or do I get save vs. magic bonuses?

Answer: If you are physically dodging the blasts then use the dodge bonuses.

145. Ok, I know you have to roll a natural 20 to beat a natural 20 but this is different. A person fires 24 MRM's at you, they roll a NATURAL 20 You fire a few SRM plasma/Napalms at the volley and roll a 7....you still have to roll 1D100, and you get 36 our of that and it says 75% chance to destroy the volley. DOES the volley get destroyed?? even though you rolled under 75% to destroy the volley?

Answer: Shooting the volley is not considered a dodge (so the natural 20 opposed rolls is not required).

146. Does W.P. Lance give pluses to strike and parry at certain levels like with the other weapons? That is not listed under The Way of the Lance.

Answer: They do not receive any bonuses to strike or parry.

147. Under Zanji Shinjinken Ryu in Ninjas and Superspies, Combination Grab/Slash is listed as a (SPECIAL!) attack, but unlike all other Special's, no rules are listed for it, either under the martial art listing or in the Combat Chapter. The best guess I have for a rule is that it would be similar to Grab/Kick, with a sword attack in place of the kick (doing critical damage). Is this correct?

Answer: That is correct.

148. I have a question about the 6th trick shot in the New West book. It says you can dodge or roll and come up shooting. Can you clarify this? I thought if you dodge as an action and it uses up your next action. Does this make it where he can shoot while dodging as a free action?

Answer: Dodging is not considered a free action with this, but it can be considered a combination move, allowing them to strike back while dodging a enemy shot.

149. Are there any modifiers to strike for firing a weapon from a distance? It seems like a target should be far harder to hit when firing from a mile away rather than point blank.

Answer: Generally there is no penalty to hit if the target is within effective range and is visible, but there are base targets for rollingLess than 50 feet, 5 or better60-200 feet, 8 or better200 plus feet, 12 or better

150. In Heroes Unlimited under Acrobatics and Gymnastics skills, it says that the character gets an "Automatic Kick Attack for 2D4 damage". What exactly does that mean? I understand what a kick attack is. I also understand how damage works. What does the "automatic" part mean? For automatic parries and dodges it means that it does not cost an attack. If that is the case here, characters can just go around kicking each other and then auto-kicking each other again, all in the same attack. Could you please elaborate as to the intent of this item?

Answer: They automatically receive a kick attack at level one, not at later levels.

151. In reference to the Mouth Weapons weapon proficiency (Mystic China pg 13). The starting rate of fire per melee seems to have been omitted. We got strike bonuses and level advancement bonuses for both strike and rate of fire, but how many shots per melee at level 1 proficiency? Any ideas on this one?